152: Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink (1971)

“It was the right alignment of everything. We had the right music, the right line-up, the right producer… it all worked so well. And when I listen to it now, I realize how impressive it is.”

—Pye Hastings

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Discord & Rhyme are taking a trip to Canterbury, England - UNESCO World Heritage Site, home of the Canterbury Cathedral, and birthplace of prog-rock legends Caravan. Springing forth from the rich Canterbury scene, Caravan created a style of progressive rock that managed to be complex while retaining a real sense of warmth. The group is not particularly well known outside of progressive rock circles, but Phil has loved them for a long time, and he’s excited to talk about the group’s most famous album, In the Land of Grey and Pink.

Miscellany

• “Golf Girl” might be familiar to fans of the British sitcom The Young Ones, as it was covered by Nigel Planel’s character Neil the Hippie on his 1984 album Neil’s Heavy Concept Album. The album features Jimmy Hastings on saxophone and flute, an assortment of others from the Canterbury scene, and two future members of King Crimson.

• Progarchives.com features a detailed entry on the Canterbury scene and every band that falls under its umbrella. In the Land of Grey and Pink is the highest-rated Canterbury album on the site, receiving a 4.32 out of 5. 

Other links 

• The official Caravan website (officialcaravan.co.uk)

• George Starostin reviews Caravan (Only Solitaire)

• Dave Sinclair plays “Disassociation” (YouTube)

• Discord & Rhyme’s In the Land of Grey and Pink playlist (Spotify)

• Discord & Rhyme’s merch store (TeePublic)

• Discord & Rhyme’s Patreon

• Buy Ben Marlin’s Rolling Stones book, If You Try Sometimes … (Amazon affiliate link)

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call 

• Phil Maddox (host)

• John McFerrin (moderator)

• Mike DeFabio 

In the Land of Grey and Pink tracklist 

1. Golf Girl

2. Winter Wine

3. Love to Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly)

4. In the Land of Grey and Pink

5. Nine Feet Underground

1. Nigel Blows a Tune

2. Love's a Friend

3. Make It 76

4. Dance of the Seven Paper Hankies

5. Hold Grandad by the Nose

6. Honest I Did!

7. Disassociation

8. 100% Proof 

Other clips used 

Caravan:

• With an Ear to the Ground You Can Make It

• L'Auberge du Sanglier/A Hunting We Shall Go

• If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You

• Place of My Own

• The Dog, the Dog, He's at It Again 

• Can't Be Long Now/Francoise/For Richard/Warlock

• Memory Lain, Hugh/Headloss

• Nothing at All/It's Coming Soon/Nothing at All (Reprise)

Others:

• Gryphon - Kemp's Jig

• Henry Cow - Bittern Storm Over Ulm

• Camel - Supertwister

• Gong - Flying Teapot

• Egg - I Will Be Absorbed

• The Soft Machine - A Concise British Alphabet, Pt. II

• Henry Cow - Upon Entering the Hotel Adlon

• Gong - Eat That Phone Book Coda

• The Kinks - Starstruck

• Harry Groener - Ode to Virginia

• The Kinks - The Village Green Appreciation Society

• Gong - Radio Gnome Invisible

• Ween - The Mollusk

• King Crimson - Lady of the Dancing Water

• Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Tarkus

• Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water

• The Weathermen - 5 Left in the Clip (RJD2 Remix)

• Gentle Giant - Schooldays

• Pink Floyd - Fat Old Sun (BBC Session 1971)

• Yes - The Gates of Delirium

• David Letterman - Memory (from Cats)

• Camel - Rhayader

Band/album personnel 

• Richard Sinclair – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals

• Pye Hastings – electric guitars, acoustic guitar, vocals

• Dave Sinclair – Hammond organ, piano, Mellotron, harmony vocals

• Richard Coughlan – drums and percussion

• Jimmy Hastings – flute, tenor sax, piccolo

• Dave Grinsted – cannon, bell and wind

• John Beecham – trombone (1)

• David Hitchcock – production

• Dave Grinsted – engineering

• John Punter – engineering

• Derek Varnals – engineering

Credits 

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of: 

• Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

• Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste

• The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...

• Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

• Herbie Hancock - Hornets

• Kraftwerk - Autobahn

• Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen

• Caravan - Golf Girl (this episode only) 

You can buy or stream In the Land of Grey and Pink and other albums by Caravan at your local record store, or the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing is by Rich Bunnell, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for production and original music. See you next album, and keep as cool as you can.